Teknoids

Paul,
That's a fantastic response and I am very grateful indeed.
I'm in a Catch-22 though, because I can't at present download a
replacement browser.
I strongly suspect that it is my Safari that is the problem.
However I am perfectly able to browse the web with it.
And my email is working.
I think I may have to go in to Apple on Monday and ask them to put a
copy of Safari and/or Firefox on a disk for me.
By the way I NEVER go in for automatic software updates.
I always like to wait and see what others have to say first !!!
Thanks once again for your very full and helpful reply.

Ronald Huttner

On 20/12/2008, at 12:06 AM, marbux wrote:

> On Fri, Dec 19, 2008 at 2:22 AM, Ronald Huttner > wrote:
>
> Hi, Ron,
>
> I'm assuming that mouse clicks are still working in other apps. Have
> you tried with different web browsers or is this all with one browser?
> If the latter, I'd hazard a guess that your browser's code has been
> corrupted and that uninstalling then reinstalling the browser might
> cure the problem. But if you can't download, that would require that
> you have the installer for some browser at hand. Note that some
> browsers' installers will overwrite existing files safely (won't wipe
> out your bookmarks, etc. and that I've never run across a browser
> whose uninstaller removes critical files like bookmarks, passwords,
> etc.)
>
> Another conceivable explanation is that you have an automatic update
> enabled for the browser, an automatic update was applied, and it has a
> bug that clashes with your system. If so, reverting to an earlier
> build of the browser might cure the problem.
>
> If you do not have a browser installer on hand, you might research
> what files make up the installed version and check to make sure
> they're all there. Most major browser vendors have documentation
> online for the file list when installed.
>
> Armed with that information, you might also try restoring those files
> from your most recent backup before the misbehavior started.
>
> I have assisted several people who had the same problem, albeit not on
> a Mac. In each case, it was either a corrupted browser or an update
> with a bug that collided with a particular hardware brand and model.
> That doesn't rule out other possibilities such as newly installed
> software that creates a conflict, but I'd start with the browser as
> the suspect miscreant.
>
> I guess the wisdom here is:
>
> [i] it's good to have at least two different browsers installed and an
> archived copy of at least one browser's installer;
>
> [ii] automatic software updates are an evil to be avoided,
> particularly for apps that you depend on mightily; and
>
> [iii] it's good to wait and check on the Web whether a software update
> causes problems before applying updates. Not infrequently, software
> updates cause problems because the test systems were configured
> differently from your own.
>
> Best regards,
>
> Paul
>
> --
> Universal Interoperability Council
>